Sports Spotlight: Alison Walshe

Tulane gained more than it bargained for with transfer golfer Alison Walshe. Walshe came to Tulane for golf from Boston College after her freshman year. Now a sophomore, Walshe demonstrated her first-place talent in the fall season and hopes to continue her star performance in the beginning spring season.

“Without a doubt, she is certainly one of the top players in the program to make an immediate impact,” Head Coach Sue Bower said. “She acclimated herself to our big-time golf program very quickly.”

The Massachusetts native began her star-track at the age of 10 in her junior golf program. Her inspiration for the sport derived from her golf-fanatic father and her golf-playing brother. However, she soon discovered her own appreciation for the game.

“I loved it, it was fun to play and to go to tournaments,” Walshe said.

Throughout her four years of playing for her high school team, she branched into playing state and national tournaments. As she advanced into the higher level of play, her name became recognized, and she began to consider a future in the game.

Walshe took inspiration from now-retired professional golfer Arnold Palmer, who is a fellow Northerner. After a year at Boston College, Walshe realized that in order to make it big like her role model she needed to be in a stronger and more competitive league.

Tulane offered the answer.

“The level of tournament play is much higher and more competitive,” Walshe said. “We are playing with some of the best teams in the country and it is really fun.”

Not only does Tulane offer a more challenging golf team, but it offers a group of competitive girls to play with. Walshe is able to have fun when traveling and practicing with her team.

“Once it became known that she wanted to transfer, a lot of coaches wanted her,” Bower said, “I think one of the deciding factors was definitely the girls on the team. She wanted to play with hard working players that were fun and welcoming.”

She finished the fall season competing in all four tournaments the Green Wave took place in. She placed third in a pool of 17 teams (one-under par for the tournament) in the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship, an honor none of her teammates reached in other tournaments.

“I played really well and had an awesome fall season,” Walshe said. “I have confidence in myself and hopefully the spring season will go just as well for me.”

“After the first tournament, she just started being comfortable playing in a top position,” Bower said. “The other girls on the team are very hard working and talented as well and inspired her to challenge herself.”

Walshe also achieved finishes in the top three and the top four places in the Mason Rudolph Women’s Championship and UA/Ann Rhoads Intercollegiate, respectively. She also achieved the lowest stroke-average on her team with a 72.63 out of 11 rounds.

“She has been a key cause of the success we have to date,” Bower said. “She should have a marvelous career at Tulane in future.”

The marketing major has great potential in the spring season and could definitely be a candidate for all American and player of year in the Conference USA. Her combination of intelligence, hard work and laid-back personality will most likely bring her a highly successful career in Tulane golf.

“After the fall season, she is ranked between the 10th and 15th position out of the whole country,” Bower said. “She is earning a lot of credibility and turning a lot heads.”

As long as Walshe continues to have a successful career here for the Green Wave, she has a good chance to go pro. She has already shown that she can handle the pressure of the spotlight as well, having been asked for interviews by multiple major golf magazines. Bower has confidence that Walshe kept her cool no matter who is flocking to talk to her.

“I would love to play professional golf,” Walshe said. “I’ll see how these last three years of college go and hopefully work my way into the pro circuit if I’m doing well.”

“She is a bright player and wants to get better, that combination gives great possibility to having a career in the sport,” Bower said. “She has very good putting and can hit very far for a woman, these two aspects are a building block for success.

She’s fun to be around and is a hard worker, and she has the opportunity to have an amazing career for Tulane and is a good kid on top of it,” Bower said.